Sunday 20th May - Erldunda to Uluru

The Big Rock

Yulara (Uluru) campsite

Got away from the campsite really early today for the 250km drive to Uluru, arriving around 11.00am so plenty of time to spend the afternoon in the National Park.

Mulga flowers

The scenery is absolutely stunning.  I expected to be impressed by Uluru but had not realised how beautiful the surrounding flora is.  There has been good rain for the last 2 years so the desert is really alive.  This only happens about once every 30 years so we are so fortunate to see it.  There is a huge variety of shrubs and trees all superbly adapted to the environment.  The desert oak for example can grow a tap root as long as 40m to find water.  In between the shrubs and trees there are many varieties of spinfex grass.  There are five permanent waterholes around the base of the rock and two are accessible to the public.  We walked to one, which is unfortunately polluted due to run off from the ridge where people still climb despite requests not to do so.  Climbing is dangerous, culturally unnaceptable to the Anangu people and damaging to the ecosystem.

Uluru at sunset

Watched the sunset on Uluru tonight.  The rock changes from purples in the morning to deep red and then glowing red at sunset, just magic.  Very cold though so pleased to get back to our cosy caravan.